Dreams Crushed
by SugarButter
Summary: Kennedy is an orphan, and she expects her life to be perfect. What happens when she doesn't get nearly what she expects? Will she mess up everything for orphans? Can Branch and Poppy help her out the tangle of messes she has created, or are they too small to help her with this 'big people' problem? Rated T for horror and romantic scenes, and some mention of power. -GalaxyMegaGirl
1. Dreams Crushed

**Here is the new story, which I am extremely excited to have two different stories now! One person said they wanted it, so here it is! Thank you very much for reading! If you haven't already, check out my other story,** _ **Can't Sing?**_

* * *

Kennedy twiddled her thumbs in the back of that black Sedan, having extreme anxiety. This poor orphaned girl had been living her life the past nine years in an orphanage. Sure, they were treated alright, but she had always dreamed of being adopted. She waited years, sitting on her bed, just thinking. She imagined the reunion with her family, the other kids calling her crazy. She was said to be delusional, for believing that she could ever be adopted at such an old age.

She could see it now. She would walked out from the car, seeing a brunette mother in an apron, holding out a plate of cookies. A father in a business suit, smiling upon the arrival of his daughter. She thought about how she would run to them and hug them, tightly, tighter than how she had hugged her pillow in the middle of a thunderstorm. She imagined the beautiful room she would have, all to herself, instead of the six bunk beds spread out in a crowded room. She could see her mother sitting down after school, helping her with an extremely hard math problem, gently teaching her the methods of learning to make the long division problem into a simple two numbered answer. She could think of how it would be to dive after the ball as her father kicked it into a net, cheering and laughing. She imagined how it might feel to actually feel _love_ instead of the phony pity from the rich snobs who came to show how they were opening a charity works and hoped the orphans might volunteer. She would always decline.

The car's accelerator had the weight lifted, slowly slowing down to a stop. Instead of an old-fashioned gabled roof and small porch, an arch cobblestone path leading through flowers up to a beautifully crafted door, there was no porch, no yard, and the modern-styled house was pulled up right at the corner. The tall three story house loomed over the girl, as she trembled from the car. Instead of tan and bright, the house was painted a light grey, giving a depressing feeling.

She rolled her suitcase slowly, her legs feeling like jelly. _The parents could still be nice, right?_ Her dreams of decoration should have been a hint. She felt time slow down, her finger looming over the doorbell as she pulled away.  
"Jessie, do I have to?" She asked the ginger, her voice a stutter. She felt like she was a victim in a horror movie, walking into her death place. The paint almost looked like a tombstone.. no!

"Don't worry, Kennedy, everything will be alright. I mean, this _is_ your dream." Jessie told her soothingly, and she quickly pushed the doorbell. She didn't want hesitation to stop her from her dream, even if it might be an extremely scary house hovering above her.

She nodded, shaking the fear from her head as the locks slowly opened, revealing a blonde man with a long mane of tangled hair, blue eyes annoyed with an interruption.

"Oh, dude, come on in." he said, waving her in. This man had the build of a surfer, and even spoke like it. There was plenty of trash strewn around, and the place reeked of alcohol and tobacco. Dozens of half-eaten pizzas laid in mould-stained shag carpet, growing mushrooms and other bacterial fungus.

She heard screaming and two four year old boys raced down the oily stairs, one of them slipping and tumbling down, taking the other down too. Their ginger hair hung in their bright green eyes. One of them was a shade darker than the other, and they shrieked in delight as they slid down the coffee table and jumped Jessie, tackling her down.

A sixteen year old girl walked in from the kitchen, face chatting with someone. Her hair was bleached white, and she had more makeup on then a clown. She had headphones on, music blaring through them. She recognised the beat from some song she had heard on the radio station.

"Ugh, Rachel! You should tell your sister to _not_ weird plaid, duh! Maybe, try to get her to wear some silk, maybe even some expensive-" She stopped and took the headphones out when she saw Kennedy, scoffing. "Oh, honey, please say you don't think that outfit is _okay_ , I have nothing to say to someone who wears something that _hideous_."

She gestured towards her green and white plaid flannel shirt, open three buttons to a purple tank top. It hung off the shoulder, and around her neck was a locket, the last thing her mother gave her before she died. She had on jeans, ripped in two places and worn away to almost white from overuse. She had on Converse, red and falling apart at the seams, and in about five places you could see orange and purple striped socks. She looked at the loosely tied shoes in shame, being told off, burned badly by the sister she never wanted.

"You know, you may have come here for a true family, one that will love you, maybe you didn't even want siblings, but that is _not_ what you are getting." A dark voice said, and a boy with shaggy black hair and was dressed in all black, such pale, almost white, skin, and eyes so dark they could have been black came out from the shadows.

"You talk?" The diva girl asked in shock. He only nodded and dragged Kennedy back as she realised Jessie had already left without saying goodbye. _Of course, she cares about me, and doesn't even say goodbye. What a great way to leave the girl who might just run back to her again_. She thought bitterly as the deathboy began talking again, who couldn't have been more than eleven years of age.

"You have been brought here so they can look good. They don't care about us kids. Trust me, you will want to share the room with me, the others are not as good of roommates. Max and I will leave you alone. You were chosen because they could see power in you, perhaps not unlocked yet. But they don't train you. They hope to get you mad, so you will hurt them or one of us. They want to _exploit_ orphans, say that they shouldn't be adopted. They want orphans, and foster children, to be miserable. So, we can help you cage your anger. Don't worry, you won't get caught. Max and I will help you. Oh, by the way, my name is Shadow." _Very fitting_.

"So, Shadow, where is this Max? Where is your room? What power do I have, and how is it not awakened? How could I have not known about my powers?" She asked him all in one breath, trying to not let the tears fall out of disappointment. She had been expecting a loving mother and caring father to tuck the nine year old in at night, to help with homework, to wake her up in the morning instead of the trumpet Jessie and Cori used to wake up all the orphans in the mornings. She thought to maybe have one younger sibling, who would look up to her, but nothing more. Not how it sounded, like maybe dozens of orphans were packed throughout the house.

They walked up the staircase, being bombarded by two boys racing cars down the railing, and one girl using a seeing stick to locate everything. Kennedy led her safely down the stairs and the girl, who she learned was named Cassie, smiled and gave a thumbs up towards her.

She walked through one of the several white doors along a hallway, and found herself in a small room, no bigger than a closet, with two beds stacked on top of each other. The entire room looked like black paint had rained down here, the only thing any other colour was the window, which looked out on the busy street. Nothing like the window she had hoped for, with a picture view of flower fields, a lake off in the corner and a setting sun casting a pinkish glow over the entire scene.

A girl sat on the bottom bed, waving and making several motions with her hands. Her black hair hung in sheets around her face, behind a very pale face frowned. She was in all black clothes, and she was obviously Shadow's twin. They had the same complexion, the same frown, the same shade of deep brown eyes, the same extremely light pink, almost peach lips.

"What is your power?" Kennedy asked, already thinking she knew the answer but waiting to hear what they had to say. She continued to do the hand gestures, which Kennedy guessed was sign language. She never had any reason to learn it, so she never did learn it.

"We, as twins, share the power. Together, we are powerful enough to raise the dead. Though, it is very risky to do so. The last time we tried, to raise our mother, I ended up in a coma from the power drained from my body. My mother had not wanted to be risen, since she had killed herself, and just.. disappeared, never to be seen by us again. But, we felt as though she had gone back to being dead. People ask us, all the time, to raise their dead parents, but no, we cannot. That incident was only two months ago, and I don't think I am ever going to be able to even live through the next time, so before you ask, no, I cannot raise your dead parents. I am truly sorry, but it cannot be done." At first, she had felt excitement, she had never met her mother and father before, but she was not going to even _ask_ this poor boy to try that for her. "Oh, by the way, Max says welcome, and _no Max, I won't tell her that!"_ She made puppy dog eyes at her brother, her skinny arms coming together to plead, and he hung his head in defeat. "Fine! She says you have a lot of power radiating from you. You haven't unlocked them, but once you have, there is no turning back. She told me that you have the most power of everyone here. You can survive jumping off that balcony, even. She wants you to try, and she threatened that if you _don't_ , she will push you off it, so I suggest you do it."

It was hard to take all that information in. So many questions buzzed around her head, but first, she stepped up to the balcony, the fourth floor balcony, and looked down. She saw the tops of leafy trees, and knew that she would die from the impact of the fall, and gulped. Especially since the backyard was actually off a cliff, which made things that much scarier. She stepped on top of the railing, closed her eyes, and jumped.

* * *

Branch sat on the couch, his arm wrapped around his wonderful, peppy, bright pink girlfriend. In return, she rested her head up against his shoulder, smiling up at him lovingly. DJ Suki and Guy Diamond sat on the other couch, Guy Diamond staring at his lap, twiddling his thumbs, and Suki looking everywhere but at Guy Diamond. Everyone in the Snack Pack knew that they liked each other, but both of them had denied it almost _too_ quickly.

"So, guys, are we here to look awkward or plan the year aniversary of the Bergans and the Trolls being friends and living in peace and harmony?" the blue troll asked, his girlfriend nodding in agreement on his shoulder. DJ Suki's flushed a bright red, and Guy Diamond's cheeks sparkled light pink glitter, which was much more noticeable since he never was anything but silver, and Branch had to force back a laugh at the sight.

"Okay, so-" Poppy was interrupted by a large crash from outside, which Branch shot straight up from hearing it and raced outside the pod.

"Hi?" a voice said.

* * *

 **Here is the first chapter! I hope you have enjoyed it! Love you all!**

 **~GalaxyMegaGirl**


	2. Play The Part

**Here we are, another chapter! Disclaimer: I don't own Trolls, sadly. But, I do own Kennedy and the powerful orphans side of it.**

 **Samantha Peace HeartStar- Thank you! Here we go, you can read more now!**

 **FandomsAreLoveFandomsAreLife- Maybe.. and certainly you will find out. Unless if it isn't Kennedy who meets the trolls.. Also, yes, she is nine years old.**

 **Animal Girl1507- Yes, it was, thank you! =D**

 **BananaQUEEN13- Great, so glad you are back! XD I am sure you will love this story too! Thank you!**

* * *

"What is it?" Guy Diamond asked, absentmindedly wrapping his arm protectively around DJ Suki, who didn't seem to notice. Branch and Poppy shared a knowing smile before their faces set into another frown.

* * *

"You didn't just _kill_ her, did you?! I told you to not do that! Last time you mistaken someone's powers, and Cassie ended up losing her eyesight! You could have just ruined every orphan's chances!" Shadow ranted at his sister, who kept shaking her head rapidly. She _knew_ that she had the power to survive, but she would have already been back. He went over and looked down the balcony edge. "Max, you stupid! She jumped down the cliff! If she didn't die from the impact, the fire would have! See that fog? Yeah, that's smoke! That was created by us, when we tried to get Mother back! That immediately sends someone to their death! Oh, Max, we are in deep dodo here! You know, you are so lucky that Dung-Head here didn't even _know_ her, or we may have just exploited orphans!"

"I told you my name is- _wait, you did something bad?!_ Ooh, fill me in!" he held up a metal rod with a drill bit on the end, and clicked a trigger to make the blade spin around. The twins looked at each other, and he went to his go to.

"Me no speak English." He said dumbly, and she pointed to her mouth, no words coming out. "Me am German, _neehow?"_

He didn't care that he had spoken Japanese with German, but he didn't buy it. He sped up the level a few times, growling and glaring at the poor, powered orphan boy with a hunger only power could give you glinting in his eyes.

"Nightmare, start talking!" He shouted, and he sighed and spoke the truth, nothing but the truth.

"That girl, Lucy or whatever her name is, didn't like you, you know, so she jumped off the cliff to kill herself, and succeeded." He lied casually, pretending to wipe a tear from his eye.

"I don't think so." _Uh oh!_

* * *

"Hello? Are you.. real?" The _thing_ asked Branch as he poked it in the cheek. It seemed about a head bigger than Bridget, but a head shorter than a normal sized Bergan. It had plain brown hair and huge, ratty clothes, and seemed freaked out by the troll's presence.

"What are you?" Branch demanded, holding up a stick three times as big as him.

"He'll hit you! He's crazy!" Suki yelled, trying to back him up. He glared at her, and she smiled slightly, laughing at the thing. "It looks almost like a.. Bergan? It's weird."

"I-I am Kennedy, a human. Who are you?" she asked, holding her hands up in surrender. She tried to stand up, but fell back down. She had hurt her ankle, and winced in pain when Branch poked it. "Ow, _ow!_ I hurt my ankle, don't _touch_ it, you creepy little thing! Am I dead?"

"Ha! As if! So, Kennedy, where do you come from? Why do you trespass in our lands, don't you know that you can't just _come_ here without being checked out by the royal guards?" Branch questioned, and Poppy pulled him back before he could hurt her. She tilted her head in question, and Branch just glared.

"Branch, calm down. I am Queen Poppy of the Trolls, and we welcome you here. Do you know why you are here, or where you come from? Kennedy, you said your name was? Well, I hope we can become friends. This here is DJ Suki, Guy Diamond, and," Branch walked away before she could introduce him. "Hang on."

"Branch, what are you doing? Come _back_ here!"

"Look at her! She could easily eat us like the Bergans. What if she celebrates Trollstice too?"

"Mr. Paranoid, come on, let's just hear her out!"

"Fine! Not for her, but for you!" Poppy took his hand and led him back over, where he only glared at the big creature in disgust and distrust.

"This is Branch. Tell us your story, please. Don't leave anything out, if you can. Tell us who you are and why you are here." Poppy smiled at the girl, who was fingering a half heart locket, fumbling with it out of anxiety. It was a bright silver and seemed to go with the outfit she wore.

"So, my name is Kennedy. I am an orphan. My father died before my birth, and my mother died in the process. She was very sick, and she was gonna die, so they made sure I was born before that happened. She gave me this, right before she died." She held out the locket towards them. "I have lived in an orphanage for several years, nine to be exact. I was finally going home to a family that had adopted me. I was so excited, to finally have somebody to _love_ me. When I got there, I learned that they only took in powerful orphans, hoping to make them get caught and so orphans couldn't be fostered or adopted. Luckily, Shadow and Max were very nice to me at the beginning, but that didn't last long. They told me of the fact I had powers and made me jump from the balcony into a cliff. That is where we stand now. I jumped, and landed down here. I don't know how, or why, or anything to do with that, but all I want is to get back home." Branch gave her a look of sympathy. He knew how it was like, to have nothing. Then, he had thought he could gain something from his grandmother, but then she died. Of course, Kennedy had no idea of this.

"Why would you want to get back home? It sounds almost like hell." Branch asked, resulting in Poppy swatting his arm. Suki and Guy Diamond laughed at the couple, but not for long because the girl frowned and picked him up. He kicked and swatted her with his hair, and she dropped him with one painful lash to the face.

"Branch!" Poppy cried, catching him with her hair. She quickly kissed his cheek as her eyes widened down at the trolls.

"Wh-what?" She exclaimed. "I am so sorry! You-you hit me with your hair and-" Branch put his hand up to stop her.

"Hey, it's fine. Just, it's getting late, We should start heading back to the village, before it gets too dark. What will we do with _her?"_ He asked, turning around towards Poppy and pointing backwards at Kennedy.

"Branch, I don't really think that will be much of a problem." She turned him around, where he came face to face with Kennedy, only shrunken down to her size.

"Hi!"

"Ahh!" He stepped backwards, Poppy catching him.

"You two, seriously, it's always Poppy catching Branch. I mean, Branch, ever catch Poppy every once in awhile?" Suki asked. He was about to huff about how he did, all the time, but Poppy answered for him, saying about how of course he did. She and Branch shared a knowing smile.

"Here's the next problem: where in the world will she stay?" Guy Diamond asked in his autotune voice, and Branch rolled his eyes.

"The castle, duh! Now, you guys okay going on your own? I am off to my bunker.. hey!" Poppy had made her hair take his hand and bringing him back, and she rolled her eyes.

"Branch, you too are staying at the castle from now on! No more secluding yourself from us!" Poppy took his hand. He wanted to oblige, but couldn't do it to her puppy dog eyes. He mumbled fine and they kept marching forwards, Branch having anxiety build up inside of him.

 _What if,_ he thought inside his head, and Poppy squeezed his hand to show comfort to the worry plastered on his face. _What if I am not completely accepted in the tribe again? What if they think I will go grey again? What if Peppy kicks me out of the castle? What if I have to sleep in one of the pods? Oh no, what if the pod falls, making me fall to my death? These pods are too dangerous! How are trolls so stupid as to sleep in something that will likely kill them?_

Noticing her boyfriend's distress, she ran a warm hand over his forehead, dotted with sweat from the anxious thoughts rambling through his head. "Don't worry, Branch. I love you, nothing bad will happen." she whispered comfortingly in his ear, and he nodded.

"Right, everything will be fine." His grip tightened on her hand as they passed Suki's pod.

"Bye, guys! Goodnight!" she yelled to them, and Branch didn't even remember the rest of the walk to the castle. He saw the huge building looming over them, Kennedy already running up the steps. Poppy wrapped her arm around his waist as they walked through the door, Poppy showing first Kennedy to her room, then Branch to his.

She closed the door behind her, sending his heart racing. She sat down on the bed, leaning against his shoulder. He kissed her cheek, and she smiled up at him. The smile he had fallen in love with, the smile he saw every night, before he fell asleep. The very same smile that always creeped into his mind whenever he felt down.

It was true, Branch wasn't the happiest of trolls. He played the part of it well, put the memories suppressed back in his mind could never leave. They were the reason he was paranoid.

He never could forget when he and his mother were in their pod, the first time without Branch's father. He never forgot the thought of that cabinet he was hidden in every night, up until the break of dawn. He could never forget his mother's dedication to her fragile son, up until the very end..

No! He wrapped his arms around Poppy, shaking slightly from the thought. Poppy seemed to think the trembling was from something else, though, quite possibly.

"Branch, what's the matter?" Poppy whispered under her breath. Their eyes locked, and she saw something behind those beautiful blue eyes: pain.

"Nothing's the matter, Poppy." Branch said, almost too harshly. She recalled something her mother had told her when she was just a little troll, before Peppy had caught her 'cheating.' She knew the truth, that the man she was with actually had threatened her entire family's life, and knew that she had left to save Peppy and Poppy, but Peppy never knew that. Her mother had left a note, explaining everything to her young daughter.

"The prettiest smiles hide the deepest secrets, the prettiest eyes have cried the most tears, and the kindest hearts have felt the most pain." She recited, not missing the tear that slowly ran down his cheek, wiping the crystal clear drop from his cheek, brushing his royal cobalt hair through her fingers, loving the softness of the mane.

He pressed his lips firmly to hers, passion, admiration, and love for this beautiful pink troll filing every molecule in his body. She kissed back with the same passion, her hands on either cheek. He pulled her closer, feeling her body mould itself against his. He refused to let go, only allowing a small separation for small gasps of air, not letting go.

The hunger he felt for her lips against his scared him. It was so strong, he could barely control it, barely push it back against himself. He felt the hurt, the pain in her eyes as he pushed her away, but the electricity he felt was _too_ intense, and he knew he had to stop before he couldn't control himself any farther.

"Branch?" Poppy asked quietly, and he softly kissed her one more time.

"Sorry, Poppy. I am just tired." He lied. He hated going to sleep, but knew he had to for good health. That was when his memories could be let loose. He mostly kept to himself after regaining his colour, because he was told, long ago, he would _scream_ in his sleep. That was why he and his grandmother kept to the outskirts, because he once woke up the entire village. He never could recall screaming, but he was told he did. The pain, the anguish he felt, so the sound ripped from his body in torment to the horrifying memories he never wanted to remember again. He _hated_ that he remembered.

She nodded, untangled herself from him, and slowly left. His heart tore in two as she walked away. He wanted to call her back, but he knew he shouldn't do.

He heard the slip of paper under his door, and a note came from under the door. He recognised the writing immediately.

 _Branch, are you okay? I love you. Goodnight. Love, Poppy._

His heart melted as he read the note. It wasn't like he wanted her gone, no. He just wanted her _too much_ , and he just needed to calm his mind.

He rolled over, not caring he hadn't any pajamas. He got under the comforter, then realised how tired he actually was. He grabbed a washcloth from the bathroom with was led from another door, and luckily found duct tape in one of the vanity drawers. He wasn't about to ask why it was there. He stuffed the washcloth in his mouth and duct taped it into place, not caring of the discomfort. He wasn't about to go screaming in the middle of the night, not a chance.

He fell asleep shortly after, and wished he hadn't.

* * *

" _Mummy? Why is daddy so scary to you?" the little blue troll asked his mother, and she continued to hide him in the cabinet. "How come, before he comes back home, you always put me in this cabinet?"_

" _Branch, I don't have the time. Just, I don't want you to feel the pain I feel." Branch only nodded, his eyes full of fear as the door opened and he heard his mother dive behind the refrigerator._

" _Branch? Petunia?" the green troll called. Branch always had to stay silent. He always refused to breath as the drunken troll walked clumsily towards the fridge, hearing a whimper of pain as he opened it, smashing his wife behind the fridge. He heard his mother's screams as he found her hiding space, and he began hyperventilating. He knew what was coming, but didn't want it._

" _Petunia, how dare you hide from me! I pay the bills, give you a son, treat you right, and what do you do? You don't respect me as I call for you! I expect to be treated right!" He heard the man who once was his father scream, but he also heard the confidence in his mother's voice as she spoke, despite the beating he began giving her._

" _I will give you respect as you deserve it, but definitely not now. Branch deserves a good, stable father, not one like you! I shall not allow this any further! Branch, come on! We are leaving." He heard his mother spit, and he began crawling from the cabinet. His yellow mother scooped her son into her arms, not letting him go. She kissed his forehead, telling him how much she loved him. Fear build in his chest, and he couldn't respond as she bolted for the door. He cried out in alarm as he saw his father with a knife, but it was too late as his mother fell, and her grasp on her son fell._

 _He tried to pull the knife on Branch, too, yelling swears at his son, but he felt warm arms pull him up, and a pink troll stood there, hugging Branch tight._

" _If I go with you Leif, will you spare this poor boy?" the female asked, with such strength. He recognised the face, he stared into it every single day._

 _He nodded, and she pushed the little fear boy onto the couch, and he began crying as the man bound the woman. He cried over his dead mother, as a purple troll walked through the door and gasped at the sight._

" _Oh my."_

* * *

Poppy sat there, holding Branch's sweating hands in her own. She had heard strangled gasps and traced them to Branch's room, where she found Branch having a horrifying nightmare with a gag tied over his mouth. She placed her hand on his pale cheek as his eyes fluttered open and she removed the gag from her boyfriend's mouth.

"Branch, are you okay?" Poppy asked, worry etched into her voice. She wiped the streaming tears from his cheeks as he nodded, then shook his head, staring at his lap in ashamement.

"Poppy." She looked at him, who had his arms wide open. She, without hesitation, latched herself around her soulmate, kissing his forehead. He already began falling asleep, and she tucked him in gently.

She sat back down in the chair, just watching him fall back to sleep, her still holding his hand, and just watching his now peaceful face fall into slumber. She felt her eyes droop, but didn't wanna fall back to sleep. She knew it was extremely early, but also knew Branch was in pain, more pain than he was willing to help. The worst of it was the fact she couldn't do anything about it.

* * *

 _Poppy found herself in a small cabinet, next to a trembling Branch. The only thing different was the fact she was about four in size and he couldn't have been more than two or three. She tried to touch the poor troll in distress, but her hand went right through him._

" _Branch, come on! We are leaving." she heard someone say, and followed Branch from the cupboard._

 _She saw the knife and felt Branch tense beside her as he began shaking her shoulders._

" _Wake up._ Wake up!"

* * *

Poppy sat bolt upright in the chair and Branch was shaking her awake.

"Poppy.. Kennedy's _gone!"_

* * *

 **Yes, I know, I am killing your hearts, one fracture at a time. I am so sorry I didn't update last night! My mum and I went to see Beauty and the Beast since we got premiere tickets before I felt ill and I came home around 11pm and she gave me medicine, which made me conk out. Here it is, and Can't Sing? should be having an update soon enough! Love you all, hope you aren't too mad! Maybe I should start posting mornings instead? Tell me what you think!**

 **~GalaxyMegaGirl**


	3. Just Didn't Care Anymore

**Animal Girl1507- Actually, even though the media said that, think about it. They weren't seen running away, and you** _ **cannot**_ **miss his hair in a crowd, either cobalt blue or charcoal black, so in my mind I think, then Branch is between nineteen and twenty years old, and Poppy is twenty to twenty-one. I think this, and just think about it. This is actually true when you have memorised the movie inside and out like me. I have legit watched it 671 times! And counting.. I have a problem..**

 **BananaQUEEN13- Well, right you are for wanting to know! Read below to find your answer! Also, of course! Broppy is the irresistible ship of the century.. no! Melinnium!**

 **Lostpuppyowner- Awe thanks! Haha I always will! So glad you love my stories! :)**

 **FandomsAreLoveFandomsAreLife- I know, so does I. (did that make sense? ^_^) All those questions will be answered eventually. Also, she knew that when she was that size she was four, of course, and Branch looks between two and three years old.**

 **Hope you enjoy this next chapter!**

* * *

Poppy sat bolt upright in the chair and Branch was shaking her awake.

"Poppy.. Kennedy's _gone!"_ Branch yelled, and suddenly Poppy didn't feel so sleepy anymore.

"Wai- wha? I-I thought that she would be happy here? Is she not happy? _What did I do wrong, Branch?"_ Poppy seemed completely nutso and would continue so forth until they found Kennedy, because, as queen, she had to make sure all subjects _and visitors_ are happy, safe, and have no initial needs!"

"Don't worry, Poppy, let's go help find her! I sent Smidge and Cooper out, as they are two of my best searching students. She is going to be found, have no worries." Branch gently pushed her bangs behind her ear and kissed her forehead, rubbing her arm soothingly.

"What are we waiting for, then?" They both jumped up and raced for the door, ready to find Kennedy and make sure she was alright.

* * *

"Oh great, Max. You have done it this time. I am sure that he will come out and say that orphans are unable to be adopted, all because you got her to jump, having her believe she would survive. Don't even _try_ and defend yourself, trust me. Last time you tried, and we were shunned. We are just a curse to this world, aren't we? Ugh, sister, I don't even _know_ anymore what to think!" Shadow was running his hands through his already-disheveled hair, worried for what Benny, or nicknamed Dung-Head by the twins, was going to say when he got out. His brother, Alex, also was in there, being a 'witness' to the incident. He always helped with the funding with his famous brother, splitting the profits, and helped watch after the kids when he had an acting job, or when the waves were real good in the summertime.

"I know, Max, maybe.. maybe you are losing the ability. I mean, they never said it was permanent or anything. It's not your fault, I am just stressed out. He gets a pretty good word in, he can be pretty persuasive when he needs to be." Shadow sighed, his sister recognising his distress as he paced back and forth by the couch. They were two of the only children who had come. Cassie also came, because Benny's grandmother said she wouldn't watch over 'murderers' and 'the sightless.'

"Shadow, what exactly happened? I mean, she didn't seriously jump from suicide, did she? I mean, I could read of the depression from her, but she didn't really have a thought about killing herself. Or was it something about her powers?" Cassie could read minds. Shadow's face worried as he knew Cassie was reading his thoughts, and he sighed. He _hated_ when she read his thoughts, but she kept a clean mouth of secrets.

"Don't worry, Shadow. Would you have sensed her death?" He nodded. "Then she mustn't be dead, unless you felt her death." Cassie smiled, her blue eyes shining, but he sighed and shook his head.

"Cassie, that isn't it. Not all of it. Normally, I could _sense_ her, but she isn't anywhere. It is hard to explain, but I can tell where people are, normally." "So _that's_ why you always won at hide and seek." "Don't interrupt me." "Sorry." "Anyways, I cannot sense her anywhere. Max, what exactly is her power?"

Shadow's face went slack as he realised that she wasn't trained in the slightest, so they would likely never see her again. He sighed, feeling even more depressed than ever, and felt Max's comforting hand on her shoulder, and Cassie gave him a small smile as she read his mind again. He just didn't care anymore.

* * *

Branch had been looking for over an hour without any luck. It didn't help that Poppy wouldn't stop dancing, creating dust in the air and creating new footprints.

Finally, he found a set of footprints that looked different than Poppy's. He made careful that Poppy didn't step over them as he crept down the pathway.

"Shh, Poppy, stay behind me. I found something. Be quiet." Poppy immediately stopped her song and nodded, understanding that Branch would get upset at her if she didn't listen. She grabbed his teal hand and he squeezed it once, showing that he was still listening.

"Branch," she whispered silently. He nodded, acknowledging her speaking, encouraging her to go on. "How come she left?"

"I honestly don't really know, Poppy. I _do_ , however, have a guess. I think she might be scared. I mean, imagine if you landed in her world suddenly, without me, wouldn't you be scared?" Poppy nodded, being as stealthy as possible, noticing Branch kicking all the twigs away to avoid her making any noise. He put a finger to his lips as he spotted something.

"A bandana." he breathed. It was a red cloth, with white patterns etched into it. The one that had been in Kennedy's hair when she arrived. They must be getting close. "Poppy, stay here."

She only nodded as he continued the trek forwards, jumping at every little noise. After about twenty minutes of walking forward, he could have sworn he heard crying.

"Kennedy?" he whispered. Her head snapped up, her eyes bloodshot and her hair teased up. She bit her lip, backing up as he came closer. "It's okay, I won't hurt you."

Kennedy was trapped between a tree. Branch put a warm hand on her shoulder. He smiled at her, showing her everything was going to be okay. They were in a small clearing, a few leaves fallen around the ground. They had been ripped from the trees by some small trolls who Branch had taken on a nature walk one day, as it was only the beginning of spring. The light green leaves from only days previous had become to browning around the edges from lack of nutrition from the trees, and one of them was torn in half by the merciless hands of five year olds.

"I-I'm sorry, Branch. I just.. I don't know. I have ruined the world for orphans, I am sure. I have messed things up with you guys. I can't believe I ever thought I would _ever_ have a happily ever after, I had just hoped. I wanna go home. I mean, sure, it isn't much, but.. I think I am hoping that Max and Shadow are worrying. They aren't, I am sure. They probably are celebrating a problem like me is gone from their lives." Kennedy didn't know why she was confessing all this to Branch, but he listened greatly, just nodding sadly.

"I know what it is like, to lose everything. Trust me, though, secluding yourself does nothing but make you more depressed. Maybe, wanna come and meet the others? You don't have to say anything to them. I will tell them I scared you, alright? I will say you were afraid of me last night so you ran away. Come on." He held his hand out to help the human, who was still reverted to troll size, up from the dirt. She brushed off her jeans, and followed Branch out. She was tackled to the ground by Poppy, who was hugging her fiercely. Branch chuckled at his lover's behaviour.

"Don't you _ever_ scare us like that again, Kennedy! Why did you go? Was it something I did?" Kennedy only stuttered. First of all, she didn't lie. Second, she didn't think anyone would care that she was gone.

"Last night, I scared her. She was afraid of being in the castle with me, I am afraid." Branch lied coolly, and Poppy only glared at her boyfriend, who was forcing back a smirk.

"You, mister, and I are going to talk about that later. You do _not_ scare our guests like that! Branch, I can't.. can't even _look_ at you right now! Just wait until the queen.. Wait! I am the queen. I can punish you to have to go around and give every single troll a hug every night for two weeks! I will administer the rest of your punishment later." A look of true horror melted on Branch's face. Honestly, it didn't seem too bad, but to him it must have been his worst nightmare. She felt so bad, and wanted to tell Poppy, but she might not understand. But still, how come Branch had understood so easily, and didn't even question her?

"But, Poppy.." Poppy pressed her finger to his lips, and he just frowned as they continued back towards the troll village, finding Smidge and Cooper on the way, and they also began yelling at Branch, and at that point Kennedy had to bite her tongue to not defend him and say it wasn't his fault. He looked like he wanted to melt into the floor, as the two began telling Poppy he should have to give every troll an unlimited coupon for free hugs for the rest of his life, and he groaned. It was clear this boy didn't care for physical contact.

"Branch, seriously, why did you scare her?" By the time that the rest of their friends, who she had heard the name Snack Pack from Branch, the glittery troll began yelling in some sort of auto tuned voice at him. The blue troll just stomped his foot and ran up the stairs, but Kennedy was the only one who realised this, besides the glittery troll, who was butt naked.

She wanted so badly to yell out to Branch to come back, but her voice wouldn't work. She had already probably busted her relationship with him. But, he didn't say her secret to anyone. She was impressed.

"Kennedy, are you okay?" She hadn't realised she had began to cry, so she sniffed once and turned away, not really wanting to talk to any of them. The chattering in the room stopped and everyone began staring at her.

"No, Poppy, all of your yelling drove your boyfriend up the stairs, jeez!" She ran back up the stairs to her room, slamming the door and collapsing on the fluffy bed. She knew Branch had taken a bullet for her, or maybe something worse by the looks of it, and it wasn't really even that big of a deal to keep. She hated to cause anyone pain, but for the past nine years, that's all she seemed to be able to do.

She heard a knock, and said in a muffled voice from the down pillow to go away, but the knocker didn't hear or didn't care. She just lifted her head and looked into the eyes of Poppy.

"What's the matter?" Poppy asked sincerely.

"Branch did nothing, absolutely nothing! He didn't even scare me! He was covering for me, and everybody is being so hard on him and not even listening to him. I don't know why, but he seemed to understand what I had been going through. I didn't even really ask him to cover for me, he just did it, knowing that things like that weren't things you want questions about. I can't take all the guilt of it! He was protecting me, and you caused him to go back away." Poppy pulled her into a warm hug, one she had never experienced before. It was one of compassion, of love. She gently wiped the tears away from her face.

"I am sorry. I know from Branch, people don't like being questions. You will learn that I can be really naive, and I am so sorry. Are you okay?"

"Go talk to Branch. He needs you more than me." She slowly nodded and left the room, gently closing the door. Her mind wandered to Branch. That boy already seemed a big package of mysteries and pain. A part of her didn't even wanna know, but the other half wanted to help. Though she knew that nothing could really ever help.

* * *

Branch sat on his bed, writing in his journal, feeling the tears down his face. Over the years he had filled up dozens of them with lyrics, poems, and entries. His grandma had taught him to release his anger that way. He had always had a bit of an anger problem, and this had always helped him out with the issue few trolls dealt with.

"Branch.. Whatcha writin'?" Poppy popped up from the bed right next to him, causing him to scream and throw it up in the air.

"Poppy, don't do that!" he scolded, snatching the notebook back.

"I said.. whatcha writing?" Branch hid the book behind his back, not letting her know the main culprit of the writing was in fact _her._

"No-nothing." _Dang it!_ He actually stuttered.

In a matter of seconds, she pounced on him, kissing him passionately. He melted quickly into the kiss, completely forgetting about the notebook.

"Aha!" Poppy waved the notebook in her hand, and Branch put on his best angry scowl, though wanted to laugh at his girlfriend's childish behaviour. He was hastily wiping away the tears, not wanting Poppy to know that the trolls had actually caused him to _cry._

"Dang it, Poppy! I love you too much, it isn't good for me! If you give me another kiss, I will let you read it." Technically, she could read it anyways, but she need not know that. Unlucky him, she already realised it. She flipped it over to one of the first pages, and Branch sighed, knowing his secret was out.

" _Eyes the colour lavender,_

 _Hair like a pink-studded sea,_

 _Makes my mood brighten amber,_

 _Name like a flower's beauty._

 _Wish I could tell her,_

 _If only she knew,_

 _What she does to me isn't okay to do._

 _I love you,_

 _So simple to say,_

 _The meaning behind it,_

 _Maybe one day.. one day."_

She closed the book, and stared at Branch in disbelief. Her violet eyes were filled with love, gratitude, and admiration. She wrapped her arms around Branch and looked up into his face before he buried it in her soft hair, softer than cotton candy and smelling of sweet strawberries. He wished they could just stay like this forever.

"You-you wrote that? When? That was _beautiful!"_ Poppy claimed, wrapping her arms around his neck, staring right at his bright blue face, blushing a darker blue from her reading something he had written before he had regained his colours. She brushed her lips against his gently, clearly impressed. "What did my boyfriend write this about?" Poppy's face clearly indicated that she was too naive to realise he had written it about her. He rolled her eyes and she gave him a puzzled look, still tightly clinging to his neck, laying on top of him, staring deeply into his blue eyes, who stared back with as much passion. It almost seemed as though they were talking to each other through their minds.

"I mean, yeah. I wrote it about the love of my life. Before we began dating, I mean." He pointed to the date at the top, which showed a year and a half prior. "Poppy, I wasn't lying when I said I loved you. I loved you, so much longer than anyone realises. It's just, nobody thought about anything like that, since I had it from them all, through all the awful things I did." His face darkened into a deeper blush, as he remembered everything he had done, and didn't have the strength to continue on. He felt as though he didn't at all deserve her.

'Branch, Kennedy told me, about how you actually were covering for her. That was sweet, and I am so sorry." She wiped a tear from his cheek. "We actually made you cry. We didn't mean to, you know. We just, were upset. We have to help Kennedy, unknown to us you were helping her."

"I just understand her position, you know? I mean, Poppy, sometimes you don't wanna tell people. It can bring back bad memories. You know?" Branch tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, resting his hand gently on her cheek.

"You _have_ told me all of your past, right?" Branch sadly shook his head, an apologetic look on his face as he kissed her nose. His eyes were filled with sorrow, but longing to tell her.

"Poppy, I just.. the past is past. I am still trying to forget. It won't change anything between us, and I don't want any pity. Okay? I am sorry, it's just a little hard, do you understand. I don't wanna remember again." It was Poppy's turn to nod. All she wanted in that moment was to help Branch. "So, I _don't_ have to go around giving trolls hugs?" Hope filled his expression.

"No, you're still going." He groaned. "Branch, why fear." Branch shook his head, unwilling to say. "It's okay Branch. It's okay."

* * *

"Oh, so Branch isn't the cause? Oh no, now I feel so bad!" Biggie clung Mr. Dinkles close, obviously regretting yelling to the blue troll. He and Poppy had been up there for a while.

"Poppy and Branch have been up there a while. I will go check on them." DJ Suki crept up the stairs, silently tiptoeing up to the room she knew was Branch's. She heard Poppy's voice reading something. She threw open the door, gasping at the sight. Branch's head was buried in a pillow which was on his lap, his ears so dark they almost blended with his dark hair, and Poppy was laughing while reading a journal entry from a book.

"What the..?"

"Poppy, shut up!" Honestly, she hadn't really heard much of the entry, but she guessed it was his. "When will you give it back?!"

"Guys, come down before people get the wrong idea. Seriously, let's just go down and do something different. Gosh knows Branch could use it."

"Thank you!" He snatched the book from Poppy's hand, throwing it under the bed. Suki didn't tell Poppy, but felt pretty sure that he had more journals under the bed. Poppy sighed sadly and stalked towards the door, hoping he might change his mind, until he just roughly grabbed her arm and dragged her along, smirking slightly at how hard she tried to read the book, but he preferred her not to.

"-I mean, Poppy wouldn't.." Biggie spotted Poppy at the top of the staircase with her hands on her hips.

"I wouldn't what, exactly? Don't let my presence stop your sentence." Poppy challenged, smirking at his nervous stutter. Branch knew _exactly_ what Biggie was thinking, and so did Suki, but Poppy seemed to be naive, but may have had the bloom of an idea.

"Well.. umm.. you wouldn't, eat all the cupcakes! Yeah, that's it!" Biggie scratched the back of his neck nervously, chuckling under his breath as Branch cocked his eyebrow at him, the most Branchiest smiley smirk on his face, forcing back the laughter.

"What makes you so sure Poppy wouldn't eat all the _cupcakes._ I know Poppy, I am sure she would!" Branch declared, silence following him.

"Bro, that is just _nasty!_ TMI, dude!" Cooper said, Branch tilting his head in confusion. Satin made a motion, like, think about what you said. It dawned on him what it sounding like, and his face turned flustered and he almost _growled_ at them.

"You guys are the nasty ones! Poppy got a hold of my diary. Jeez, we know she loves her sweets. Seriously, guys, you need a mental check up." Branch rolled his eyes as Smidge gasped dramatically in her naturally deep voice.

"You have a _diary?"_

"Guys, just shut up. Seriously, just stop talking." When they continued pestering him, his face began to turn _red_. When a Troll's face turns red, unless they are pink or red, that means they are angry. _Really_ angry. Unless, of course, you are grey. In that case, you are always angry.

"Whoa, bro, back off." Branch was clenching is fists and teeth as Guy Diamond said that to him, his auto tune voice switching off out of sheer fear.

"I told you to _drop it._ What do you do? You keep going." Poppy gently took one of his clenched hands, and rubbed his arm until the colouring faded from his face.

"Shh, Branch, let's go upstairs a minute. Kennedy, come along. Everyone else, stay down." Poppy kept cooing to Branch, helping him keep his face clear of colour for the most part, gently rubbing circles in the back of his hand. They closed the door to Branch's room, Kennedy taking a seat on the edge of the bed while the rest of the red faded from his face to a light pink, like the colour of Poppy's skin. She continued to gently hold his hand as he stared at his laugh, feeling guilty of having an anger attack, embarrassed about having it in front of Kennedy. "Sorry." he mumbled under his breath as Kennedy only nodded.

"Kennedy, Branch still has some.. problems to work through. Don't be scared or fearful of him, please. Just, try not to get on his nerves, alright? He has some anger issues and so it can be very.. intimidating to be near him, but only if you anger him. Sorry if you feel any discomfort about it, you know? Don't blame Branch, it isn't his fault, he has had some hard things about his life, even I don't know." Poppy moved closer to Branch as she scooted closer to her boyfriend, him wrapping an arm around her, bringing her closer. "Just, don't be too rough on him, okay? Give us a chance. Maybe we will surprise you."

"Yeah, I will. Just, anybody know how I might be able to contact my friends back home? Alert anybody?"

Branch gave a cheeky smile towards Poppy. "Sure, I think we do."

* * *

After they could finally sneak past the Snack Pack, Branch ushered her along. It surprised her when he grabbed a backpack and handed one off to both Poppy and Branch too. _Just in case,_ he had said. What does he mean by that?

They headed down a tunnel through the Troll Tree, the only light provided was by a torch Poppy held in front of them. They emerged a few hours later, dusk had begun to settle down.

"High five!" Branch yelled out, echoing among the cliffs.

"I must be the one.. to give you a high five!" They smiled when they saw Cloud Guy coming down from his place on the mountain. Kennedy's face paled when she saw the cloud _with hands and feet!_

"Sup Branch, my man! Hey, no sticks this time, please! Who's this new chick, Poppy?" Kennedy raised an eyebrow at Branch, mouthing about the stick, which he told her it was a long story.

"Well, this is Kennedy, and we were wondering if you knew how she got here. Possibly how she can get back?"

"The answer is within her.." Cloud Guy trailed off, then tripped backwards as he lost his balance. "Whoa! What the? Oh, hi Queen Poppy! Branch! Who is this?"

Branch raised an eyebrow at him before he began laughing.

"Kidding, kidding. Anyways, basically, I can show her what is going on in her universe, the Earth, but I have no idea how the heck to get her back. Like I said, only she knows."

"But I don't know!" Kennedy began whining like a three year old, and Cloud Guy just rolled his eyes.

"I don't know, Kid. Here, look through this puddle here. You can see it through here. After, though, I must be going back. You know, cloud stuff to do. The ushe." Cloud Guy smiled and led them to a small puddle, which began shimmering and showing an image of the courthouse.

* * *

Shadow slowly walked out, helping Cassie down the stairs. He felt like crying, but that wouldn't make things better. It was official: he and his sister single-handedly killed any chance at hope for orphans to be adopted, and were all three being charged for first-degree murder. Unknowing to them, she had a cut on her arm and a small portion of blood had gotten on the clothes of Cassie, and since Max and Shadow did nothing to stop her death, they were charged too. They had been opted to be sent to real prison. The fuzz were out there, swinging batons into their palms and Cassie had the most scared look on her face, hearing the impact of the thick batons hitting the calloused hands.

"Don't worry, Cassie, Max, I _will_ fix this. No way are we being charged for something we didn't do. We are not murderers, even though we may be deceived to think so." He gently took both their hands, Cassie being like their adopted sister. She was only ten, just under a year younger than the twins.

A woman police officer came forward and began locking the cuffs on them. "Excuse me, ma'am, Cassie here is blind and Max is dumb, so please put us together. I am legally their caretakers, so you technically are forced to by law."

"Don't worry, kid. I know y'all's secrets. I know you aren't the criminals here. I also know she is alive and seeing this right now. That is all I can say, but just know she isn't dead. Alright?" Officer Jenny, he learned her name, whispered. "I will help you all out. I cannot exactly let you go, but I will make sure to help you find her. Since you are under eighteen, I can legally bring you everywhere with me, so I can explain more to you three later. Got it?"

Shadow nodded, something shining in his eyes that hadn't been there in awhile: hope.

* * *

"Oh no!" Poppy and Branch exchanged hidden glances of worry. Concern flashed across Kennedy's face as the puddle ripples and the image faded.

"No, no! I need to see more! Please!"

"Sorry Kennedy, but I need to go!" He disappeared back into the night sky, all the stars now fully shining. They began the trek back home, however, with Kennedy sobbing. She didn't understand what the heck was going on, and felt more confused than ever.

"I am so very sorry Kennedy. Well, at least somehow you know the answer!" Poppy exclaimed. "You will be home soon enough."

"You really believe that?"

"Yup!" Poppy chirped, taking Branch's hand and skipping out of the last part of the tunnel. Branch had been silent the entire way back home.

They finally arrived back to the castle, Poppy and Branch sharing a kiss before departing to their separate rooms, Kennedy feeling lonely as ever.

Branch pulled out his journal from beneath his bed, his hand resting on one of his other ones. He ripped a clean page from his newer one and wrote a note on it. He snuck into Poppy's room, seeing her sprawled out on top of the comforter, asleep. He tucked her in and made sure to place the note down so she would see it, on top of the notebook he placed on her nightstand.

 _She will never realise,_

 _How deep my love goes,_

 _As she turns around the corner,_

 _Feeling the wind as it blows,_

 _Feeling the deepest desire,_

 _To be by your side,_

 _Don't you realise that it's about time,_

 _About time._

 _You need to know,_

 _This is no game,_

 _To me in the least,_

 _It isn't so plain,_

 _It took a while to decide,_

 _As I tampered it all,_

 _Poison ran through my veins,_

 _Looks like my problem is solved,_

 _It's solved._

* * *

 **Yes, I claim all rights to the poem and song written down in this chapter. In all my fanfics, unless if I specifically say it doesn't belong to me, I own the song and all of that. You are welcome to use the poems and songs, please if you do just give me the credit I deserve. Thank you.**

 **I hope you enjoyed it! Today I am in a good mood, because it appears I am going to have** _ **another**_ **niece or nephew, so I was gonna cliffhanger you guys but I decided to allow you guys without one for once. Haha! :D I hope you enjoyed!**

 **~GalaxyMegaGirl**


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